A tethered charging and recharging (TCR) drone assembly system is provided. The TCR drone assembly system may be a nurse vehicle-based, a master/slave vehicle-based, a stationary structure and/or free standing TCR drone assembly system. The TCR drone assembly system is especially suitable for use on moving vehicles, for example, a self-propelled conventional type vehicle operated by an operator and/or autonomous or slave autonomous vehicle with no operator on board. The TRC drone assembly system may quickly couple and may deliver energy charges, recharges or other types of power propellants to vehicles while the vehicles are stationary or in motion. The assemblies are especially suitable for providing power to vehicles when only limited downtime of the vehicles is desired. The assemblies are suitable for use in, for example, the agricultural, construction, defense or other industries.
The TRC drone assembly system may be a single or may be a plurality of drones each tethered by a retractable cord/wire/tube/hose or any other structure which may transport power, electricity, light/lasers/or any spectrum of light, radio/sound frequencies, fluids, air/gasses, data and communication from the drones to the vehicles. In the embodiment utilizing a vehicle, the TCR drones may hover in full circumference of the vehicle it is tendering/nursing, providing automated coupling, measuring, power sources, replenishment, and data and visual confirmation/back-up/reporting of the vehicle it engages. In some embodiments, a mobile or stationary support station provides the source of the main products needed and/or used by the vehicles and may supply the desired liquids, foams, gases, powders, electrical power and/or electrical communication from the plurality of drones to the vehicles. A plurality of sensors located on the TCR drones may allow the drones to detect the needs and environmental conditions of the moving vehicles they are serving in real-time therein allowing the TCR drone to adjust to and optimize the vehicle's work cycles/function accordingly. The TCR drones may be controlled remotely by a user/operator or may be automatically controlled by sensors. In an embodiment, the TCR drones may have retractable/telescoping auto-coupling ports for delivering power/substance/product/data/etc. from any angle or direction of the vehicle the TCR drone is servicing.
Over the years, attempts have been made to incorporate drones into the agricultural industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,971 to Guice discloses a method and a system for detecting airborne plant material, such as mold spores and pollen, and flying insects and birds, and classifying them as to whether they are harmful to field crops, production animals or other assets within a protected volume or area. Lasers, radar, and other types of radiation may be used to illuminate at least a perimeter around such assets to be protected, with radiation returns detected and applied to a pattern classifier to determine whether the detected objects of interest are harmful, benign or beneficial. In the event the objects are determined to be harmful (pests), a variety of measures controllable via the radiation returns may be taken to eliminate the harmful objects, these measures including firing pulses of laser, microwave or other radiation of a sufficient intensity to at least incapacitate them, or mechanical measures such as controlled drone aircraft to macerate the pests with propellers or spray limited amounts of pesticide in the area of the pests.
U.S. Publication No. 20140316614 to Newman discloses a data collection system having a first computer media for collecting image data, a second computer media for analyzing the image data and locating anomalies in the image data, a third computer media for linking particular image data to address data of the property where the anomaly is present and a fourth computer media for generating a list of pertinent properties having similar anomalies by address. The image data collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone.
However, these patents and publications fail to describe a TCR drone assembly as a servicing or nurse to the vehicles in operation for use in, for example, the agricultural, construction, defense or other industries where safety, downtime and timeliness is critical. Further, these patents and publications fail to describe a TCR drone assembly which has a plurality of drones tethered to retractable cord/wire/tube/hose or structures which can transport power, electricity, light/lasers/or any spectrum of light, radio/sound frequencies, fluids, air/gasses, and data providing real-time information on objects and environmental conditions surrounding the vehicles being serviced by the TCR drones.